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Using popular tv characters is usually one of the best ways to get your pupils attention. This is way I based most of the family members unit plan on “The Simpson Family”.

We start making a family tree using images of The Simpsons. Then, we name each member depending on his/her position in the family.

This is what I use:

Right after that, we play this multiple choice game where they have to say who is who in The Simpsons family. First, from bart’s point of view and then from Herb’s. It is a very popular game and very useful!

The first writing activity I ask them to do, is this family tree seen from Lisa’s perspective. Once they have done Lisa’s, they can do their own family tree including their closest relatives.

Using again the flashcards and wordcards of The Simpsons family member, we play some TPR games. This way, they acquire the spelling while having fun.

One TPR game they really enjoy, is when I display on the board the image of one family member and three possible wordcards. Two pupils wait facing back to the board and they can only turn around and touch the right wordcard after the rest of the class says “ready, steady, go”. The winner stays there and plays against another classmate. The pupil who stays more turns wins.

The following writing activity includes whole sentences. They have to write a mini book about 8 family members the same way Lisa introduces her relatives in this presentation.

Each slide would be a page of their mini book. They draw the face of the family member and write about him/her. The mini book is made using a DINA4 sheet and folding it so you have 8 squares. Then, you cut it using the folds as a guide to the the pages of your book. Once each page has been written, you staple them to give them the book look.

Even though this song is not about The Simpsons, I really like it and my pupils love how catchy it is. Besides, it is possible to ask many different comprehension questions about the video.

Like this:

Very often preschoolers enjoy playing with the little bugs they find in the playground during break time. Sometimes, they even like bringing them into the classroom so they can show their discoveries to the classmates and to the teacher. Therefore, I thought that planning some lessons on bugs would be quite interesting and meaningful for them 😀

First of all, I introduce the SPIDER through this Inicy Wincy Spider story based on the nursery rhyme.

After telling the story we speakabout spiders saying what colours they can be, their possible sizes, how many legs they have and if any of us has ever caught a spider or been bitten by one. They usually tend to invent stories about spider bites they have suffered haha.

We also sing the very well known Inicy Wincy Spider nursery rhyme. I really like this version, it is so catchy!!

To revise the story, I made some jigsawsusing the storycards. I printed them out, laminated them and cut them out. Each storycard has been cut in a different shape so they don’t get mixed up. Once each jigsaw has been completed we order the images as we retell the story all together.

My pupils always ask me to bring them activities where they can colour, so I made this one where they have to trace the petals of the flower where the spider is sitting on and then colour Incy Wincy Spider. Click on the image to download the worksheet:

Now it is time to introduce some other bugs. Using these flashcards we discover them. I hide the flashcards around the classroom and I ask the pupils to find them. Once we have them all, we describe them physically, we speak about how they move and we tell if we have ever seen them in real life.

There is this great powerpoint game I found online to help the pupils learn the names of the insects. My pupils really liked it! Click on the image to download it.

Finally, there is this video I made of a song about four of the insects that have been presented. This way my pupils can listen to the song as many times as they want and it helps them memorise the lyrics and the movements.